Lower muscle training device

ABSTRACT

A lower muscle training device includes a base, and a foot support having an intermediate portion pivotally coupled to the base with a pivot shaft and having one or more foot pedals for supporting users. The foot pedals and the foot support may be rotatable relative to the base about the pivot shaft by the users, to train and exercise lower muscle groups of the users. The base includes a front pad and a rear stop to cushion the foot support. The stop may be used to adjust an inclination or tilting angle of the foot support relative to the base. A resistive device may be coupled between the foot support and the base, to apply a resistive force against the foot support and to the users.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a lower muscle training device, andmore particularly to a lower muscle training device for suitablytraining or exercising lower muscle groups of users.

2. Description of the Prior Art

For training or exercising lower muscle groups of users, various kindsof typical lower muscle training devices, such as treadmills, steppingexercisers, or the like have been developed for jogging or ladderclimbing exercises.

However, the typical treadmills are primarily provided for training thehearts and the lungs of the users, but may not be provided for trainingor exercising the lower muscle groups of the users.

Similarly, the typical stepping exercisers are also primarily providedfor training the hearts and the lungs of the users, but also may not beprovided for training or exercising the lower muscle groups of theusers.

Actually, while operating or exercising the typical treadmills and thetypical stepping exercisers, the legs of the users are normally elevatedby the muscle groups of the thigh portions only, the foot portion maynot be suitably moved or exercised or rotated relative to the tibia,such that the lower muscle groups of the users also may not be suitablytrained or exercised.

The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate theafore-described disadvantages of the conventional lower muscle trainingdevices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a lowermuscle training device for suitably training or exercising lower musclegroups of users.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided alower muscle training device comprising a base, and a foot supportincluding an intermediate portion pivotally coupled to the base with apivot shaft, and including at least one foot pedal for supporting usersthereon. The foot pedal and the foot support may be rotatable relativeto the base about the pivot shaft by the users, to train and exerciselower muscle groups of the users.

The base includes a front portion having a pad provided thereon, forengaging with a front portion of the foot support, and for cushioningthe foot support. The base includes a protrusion extended from the frontportion thereof, to support the pad thereon.

The base includes a rear portion having a stop provided thereon, forengaging with a rear portion of the foot support, and for cushioning thefoot support. The base includes a socket provided thereon, the stopincludes an arm extended therefrom and engaged into the socket of thebase.

The arm of the stop includes a plurality of apertures formed therein,and a latch engaged with the socket of the base, and engaged with eitherof the apertures of the arm, to adjustably secure the stop to the base,and to adjust an inclination or tilting angle of the foot supportrelative to the base.

A resistive device may further be provided and coupled between the footsupport and the base, to apply a resistive force against the footsupport and to the users. It is preferable that the resistive device maybe selectively adjusted to different resistive force for applyingdifferent resistive forces against the foot support and the users.

The base includes a pair of beams each having an extension extendedoutwardly and rearwardly therefrom, to increase a ground contacting areaand a stability of the base. The base may further include a handleattached to the base, to support upper portions of users.

Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from a careful reading of the detailed description providedhereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a lower muscle training device inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the lower muscle training device;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the lower muscle training device,similar to FIG. 2, illustrating the operation of the lower muscletraining device;

FIG. 4 is a side plan view of the lower muscle training device;

FIGS. 5, 6 are side plan views similar to FIG. 4, illustrating theoperation of the lower muscle training device; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the lower muscle training device,similar to FIGS. 2 and 3, illustrating the other arrangement orapplication of the lower muscle training device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIGS. 1-4, a lower muscletraining device in accordance with the present invention comprises abase 10 including a pair of side beams 11 which are preferably parallelto each other, and a lateral beam 12 coupled between the side beams 11at the front portion 13 of the base 10. Each of the side beams 11includes an extension 14 extended outwardly and rearwardly therefrom, toincrease the ground contacting area and the stability of the base 10.

The base 10 includes a bar 15 disposed or provided in the middle portion16 thereof, and straddled or secured between the side beams 11, andincludes one or more, such as two brackets 17 extended or provided onthe bar 15, and includes a socket 18 attached or secured to the bar 15and having an orifice 19 formed therein. The base 10 further includes aprotrusion 20 attached to the front beam 12, and a soft or resilient orrubber pad 21 attached or disposed on the protrusion 20.

A foot support 30 includes a pair of poles 31, preferably parallel toeach other, and each having an intermediate portion 32 pivotally coupledto the base 10 with the brackets 17 and one or more shafts 33. The footsupport 30 further includes a rod 34 coupled between the poles 31 at thefront portion 35 of the foot support 30, and a coupler 36 attached tothe rod 34. One or more, such as two foot pedals 37 are secured on thepoles 31 with fasteners 38 respectively, and rotated in concert with thefoot support 30, for supporting users thereon (FIGS. 3-6).

In operation, as shown in FIGS. 4-6, the user may step on the footpedals 37, and may step or rotate the foot pedals 37 and/or the footsupport 30 relative to the base 10 about the pivot shafts 33, with thelower muscle groups of the users, in order to train or exercise thelower muscle groups of the users. The pad 21 of the base 10 may beengaged with the front portion 35 of the foot support 30 (FIG. 4), tocushion the foot support 30, and to reduce noises that may be generatedwhen the foot support 30 is hit or impacted onto the base 10.

A resistive device 40, such as rubber strap or spring (not shown),pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder or actuator 40, or the like, may furtherbe provided and coupled between the foot support 30 and the base 10, toapply a resistive force against the foot support 30, and thus to apply aresistive force against the feet of the users, in order to further trainor exercise the lower muscle groups of the users.

For example, the resistive device 40 includes one end 41 pivotallycoupled to the coupler 36 of the foot support 30, and another end 42pivotally coupled to another coupler 43 of the base 10, in order toapply the resistive force against the foot support 30 and the users. Itis preferable that the resistive device 40 includes an adjustable device(not shown) to selectively adjust the resistive force thereof appliedagainst the foot support 30 and the users.

A stop 50 may further be provided and attached to the base 10, to engagewith the rear portion 39 of the foot support 30 (FIGS. 5, 6), and tocushion the foot support 30, and to reduce noises that may be generatedwhen the foot support 30 is hit or impacted onto the base 10. The stop50 includes an arm 51 extended therefrom and slidably engaged into thesocket 18 of the base 10.

The arm 51 includes one or more apertures 52 (FIG. 1) formed therein,and adjustably aligned with the orifice 19 of the socket 18, toselectively receive or engage with a fastener or a latch 53 which may beengaged through the orifice 19 of the socket 18 and either of theapertures 52 of the arm 51, to adjustably secure the stop 50 to the base10, and to adjust the relative position between the foot support 30 andthe base 10, and thus to adjust the inclination or the tilting angle ofthe foot support 30 relative to the base 10.

When the stop 50 of the base 10 is adjusted relative to the foot support30 to different position, in order to adjust to different inclination ortilting angle between the foot support 30 and the base 10, the resistiveforce of the resistive device 40 applied against the foot support 30 andthe users may also be adjusted, to allow the users to spend differentenergy to operate or to exercise the lower muscle training device.

In operation, as shown in FIGS. 4-6, the user may step on or rotate thefoot pedals 37 and/or the foot support 30 relative to the base 10 aboutthe pivot shafts 33, with the lower muscle groups of the users, in orderto train or exercise the lower muscle groups of the users. The frontportion 35 of the foot support 30 may be engaged with the pad 21 of thebase 10, and the rear portion 39 of the foot support 30 may be engagedwith the stop 50 of the base 10, to cushion the foot support 30, and toreduce noises that may be generated when the foot support 30 is hit orimpacted onto the base 10.

As shown in FIG. 7, a handle 23 may be selectively or optionallyattached to the base 10, to support the upper portions of the users, andto allow new beginners or children or elders to easily and safelyoperate or exercise the lower muscle training device without fallingdown from the lower muscle training device.

Accordingly, the lower muscle training device in accordance with thepresent invention may be used for suitably and safely training orexercising lower muscle groups of users.

Although this invention has been described with a certain degree ofparticularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure hasbeen made by way of example only and that numerous changes in thedetailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as hereinafter claimed.

1. A lower muscle training device comprising: a base, and a foot supportincluding an intermediate portion pivotally coupled to said base with apivot shaft, and including at least one foot pedal for supporting usersthereon, said at least one foot pedal and said foot support beingrotatable relative to said base about said pivot shaft by the users, totrain and exercise lower muscle groups of the users.
 2. The lower muscletraining device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said base includes afront portion having a pad provided thereon, for engaging with a frontportion of said foot support, and for cushioning said foot support. 3.The lower muscle training device as claimed in claim 2, wherein saidbase includes a protrusion extended from said front portion thereof, tosupport said pad thereon.
 4. The lower muscle training device as claimedin claim 1, wherein said base includes a rear portion having a stopprovided thereon, for engaging with a rear portion of said foot support,and for cushioning said foot support.
 5. The lower muscle trainingdevice as claimed in claim 4, wherein said base includes a socketprovided thereon, said stop includes an arm extended therefrom andengaged into said socket of said base.
 6. The lower muscle trainingdevice as claimed in claim 5, wherein said arm of said stop includes aplurality of apertures formed therein, and a latch engaged with saidsocket of said base, and engaged with either of said apertures of saidarm, to adjustably secure said stop to said base.
 7. The lower muscletraining device as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a resistivedevice coupled between said foot support and said base, to apply aresistive force against said foot support and to the users.
 8. The lowermuscle training device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said base includesa pair of beams each having an extension extended outwardly andrearwardly therefrom, to increase a ground contacting area and astability of said base.
 9. The lower muscle training device as claimedin claim 1, wherein said base includes a handle attached thereto tosupport upper portions of users.